I was in the Big Box store the other day and saw the most amazing thing. Mashed Potatoes in a butter tub. Who would buy that? I understand the need for fast and easy but potatoes? Give me a break. I get powdered potatoes, you take the water out and they're lighter to carry which makes them good for camping or combat. Mashed Potatoes in a butter tub isn't lighter than a potato and they have probably added things to keep the potatoes from growing stuff.
To some extent I blame all the cooking shows for this. When you see them baking potatoes they always salt and oil the skin and stick the potato in the oven for 45 min. Why? Because it makes better TV. Don't do that, put your potato in the microwave and cook it for 5 min.
Ok, look, I'm all about "slow food," don't eat food like substances, stay green etc... I'm also all about don't throw the baby out with the bath water and all things in moderation. The microwave is a tool in your cooking arsenal use it wisely.
Do you know how hot cooking these items in the oven will make your kitchen. I live in the South this is important to me.
Time and energy cost money, why waste these precious resources when you have the microwave sitting right there on your counter. Potatoes cost about 80 cents a pound cooking them in the microwave cost another penny. Cutting them open scooping them out adding butter and milk cost about 5 minutes more. How could 45 min. in the oven, half an hour on the stove, or a store bought tub be better than that?
If your cooking sweet potatoes all you need to make a complete meal is to add a little protein and your done. Personally I like to top mine with grated mozzarella cheese. It's not possible to come up with a better one dish super meal, go on try it I dare you.
I recently listened to Michael Pollan's You Tube lecture on "In Defense of Food," if you haven't I recommend it. He points out a lot of things about how Americans look at food that makes you think. However, he said a few things that were wrong. He said that no fat sour cream doesn't have anything that looks like milk in it. I thought, "Really," and got up, walked into the kitchen, opened the frig, pulled out my tub of no fat sour cream and read the label. The top two ingredients are milk. My tub of no fat sour cream does have additives but I wonder if it has any more than regular sour cream. He also mentions great grandmothers and a tube of yogurt and would she think it was toothpaste. Well my Great Grandmother would not recognise plastic, never used toothpaste and probably didn't know what yogurt was. My kids great grandmother would know all these thing but not mine and I'm willing to bet not Michael's either. However, once again don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because he's not perfect doesn't mean you should completely ignore him.
The same thing goes for your microwave.
To some extent I blame all the cooking shows for this. When you see them baking potatoes they always salt and oil the skin and stick the potato in the oven for 45 min. Why? Because it makes better TV. Don't do that, put your potato in the microwave and cook it for 5 min.
Ok, look, I'm all about "slow food," don't eat food like substances, stay green etc... I'm also all about don't throw the baby out with the bath water and all things in moderation. The microwave is a tool in your cooking arsenal use it wisely.
- Potatoes - Microwave cook time 5 min. Oven 45 min. at 400 degrees.
- Sweet Potatoes - Microwave cook time 5 min. Oven 45 min. at 400 degrees.
- Spaghetti Squash - Microwave cook time 7 min. Oven 45 min. at 400 degrees.
- Acorn Squash - Microwave cook time 10 min. Oven 30 min. at 350 degrees.
- Butternut Squash - Microwave cook time 20 min. Oven 1 hour at 400 degrees.
Do you know how hot cooking these items in the oven will make your kitchen. I live in the South this is important to me.
Time and energy cost money, why waste these precious resources when you have the microwave sitting right there on your counter. Potatoes cost about 80 cents a pound cooking them in the microwave cost another penny. Cutting them open scooping them out adding butter and milk cost about 5 minutes more. How could 45 min. in the oven, half an hour on the stove, or a store bought tub be better than that?
If your cooking sweet potatoes all you need to make a complete meal is to add a little protein and your done. Personally I like to top mine with grated mozzarella cheese. It's not possible to come up with a better one dish super meal, go on try it I dare you.
I recently listened to Michael Pollan's You Tube lecture on "In Defense of Food," if you haven't I recommend it. He points out a lot of things about how Americans look at food that makes you think. However, he said a few things that were wrong. He said that no fat sour cream doesn't have anything that looks like milk in it. I thought, "Really," and got up, walked into the kitchen, opened the frig, pulled out my tub of no fat sour cream and read the label. The top two ingredients are milk. My tub of no fat sour cream does have additives but I wonder if it has any more than regular sour cream. He also mentions great grandmothers and a tube of yogurt and would she think it was toothpaste. Well my Great Grandmother would not recognise plastic, never used toothpaste and probably didn't know what yogurt was. My kids great grandmother would know all these thing but not mine and I'm willing to bet not Michael's either. However, once again don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because he's not perfect doesn't mean you should completely ignore him.
The same thing goes for your microwave.
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